Earth’s Landforms

For our unit of inquiry we have been identifying the many different landforms of the Earth and working on our dictionary skills. After some research the students were able to name forty different landforms. They then choose their favorites and wrote definitions with pictures to illustrate the landforms. These were collected and made into a picture dictionary which will be added to our class library for the students to read and enjoy at their leisure. Here are a few samples of some of the dictionary pages.

Buddy Reading

On Friday, December 9^th the grade 3 students shared the library time with the grade one class. During this time the third grade students read very nicely and cooperatively with the first graders.

Let’s Celebrate!

On Friday the parents organized a class party for the third graders. They celebrated with many homemade treats and drinks. The students then took the initiative and worked very cooperatively and organized games and activities to occupy themselves. It was a wonderful celebration before the holidays start! A big thank you to all the parents for creating this event for us! We enjoyed it very much!

 

Congratulations!

The students are to be congratulated for a wonderful job on their song ‘Frosty the Snowman’ which they performed for the Winter Event! A great job everyone! You should be proud of yourselves!!!

 

A Wish for All!

The Grade 3 Class and I would like to wish everyone a:

Thank You!

A big thank you to the Huber family for sending our classes the Grittibenz on Friday! They were beautiful and delicious! It was a nice treat for our break snack. Your generosity is much appreciated!

St. Nick

Visits

Third Grade

The students of third grade were very excited and a little nervous to have a visit from St. Nick on Friday, December 2^nd. Santa did a great job of pointing out the positives of each child and then highlighting one area for improvement. The students were very helpful and considerate of each other and very agreeable with Santa’s comments. They were each presented with a bag of goodies with instructions of how to count the peanuts, multiply by the chocolates and divide by the oranges, which the children took quite seriously! We all enjoyed the visit!

Legend Writing

In our planet Earth unit of inquiry we have been studying legends of how the Earth and its elements have been formed. These legends stem from many cultures around the world. The students then assisted me in writing a model legend for the class. They were very creative and had wonderful ideas, as you can see in the following legend which we wrote together. They then wrote their own individual legends which we will be putting into a book of legends. Students may borrow this book for home reading so you can have a closer look.



How Water Came To Earth

Written by Mr. Andrews‘ Grade 3 Class

         A long time ago, during the ice age, the Great Iceman had covered the Earth in snow and ice. The Inuit people had trouble finding food because there were no water animals and many others were hibernating. Many of the animals that were awake still had changed color and had white fur or feathers which helped them blend in with the environment. The people were afraid that they would die.

         The Great Iceman had covered the whole Earth with a thick layer of clouds and a cold, cold wind blew over the land.

         Above all this the Fire Man watched over the clouds and wondered what was underneath. The more he thought about it, the hotter he got and he realized the clouds were disappearing.

         Beneath the clouds, the ice and snow also started to melt and the Great Iceman got very angry. He wondered what was happening to his creation. All of a sudden, he noticed a great ball of fire in the sky. The Great Iceman zoomed up above the clouds and found the Fire Man melting his wonderful work.

         A great battle began. The fight took the Great Iceman and the Fire Man in a chase around the Earth, melting the ice as they went. As they neared the equator they collided and all that was left was Water Man.

         From this day on they learned their lesson and decided to share the Earth. That is why we have ice, fire and water on our planet.

         The Inuit people were very thankful that they could find food and live in and enjoy all the seasons once again.

Winter Event Information for Parents

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The PYP Winter Event is taking place next week Wednesday 7^th, December. Please consider the following information in preparation for this exciting day.

·         Place and Time: The Winter Event will take place in the Mulisaal Hall (5 minute walk from the school) and it will start at 17:00 o’clock. Please be in the Hall five minutes before starting time. Thanks.

·         Parking: Please use the school’s car park rather than the small car park near the Mulisaal Hall.

·         Performance Day - Extra Snack: As it is going to be a very long day for your children, please provide them with an extra snack. This will be eaten after school during the two-hour period (between 15:00-17:00) before the start of the performance.

·         Performance Day – Film and Rest: During this period, the children will also have an opportunity to watch a film and rest. Homework will not be set for the day after the performance.

·         Performance Day – Bags and After Performance Arrangements: On this day, the children will not take their school bags to the Mulisaal auditorium.  After the performance, you may opt to go back to the school and collect your child’s/children’s belongings (the school’s doors will be open until 18:00). However, you may also consider going home without them. These personal items will be safe in the building and can be collected the day after.

·         Children collection: Please collect your child/children at end of performance.

Many thanks for your support.

The children and the staff hope you have a great time during our Winter Event.

Best regards,

Alex Cardona

Dictionary Skills

In the Media Centre this week, Mrs. Wocke taught us how to find words in a dictionary. We located the words using the guide words. It helps to know alphabetical order to do this. Then we could read the definitions and write them in our own words. We also identified different forms of the words, for example: large, larger, and largest. Then we found synonyms, or words that mean the same, and related words such as: big, huge, tall, high.

We also looked at finding a broader or narrower topic for a chosen theme. For example, a broader topic for continents might be the Earth, while a narrower topic could be country. The students did a great job of grasping these concepts and completed the exercise for three words plus an extra word of their choice.

D.E.A.R.

The students of grade three love their D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) time. They make themselves comfortable in the class library area and curl up with a good book and read quietly and uninterrupted for a period of 15 to 30 minutes.



Solving the Pangaea Puzzle

The third graders were provided with a tension engagement to start our Planet Earth unit of inquiry. They were given a set of Pangaea cutouts and they were instructed to work collaboratively in their groups to put the puzzle together without being told what the pieces represented. They were quick to identify the pieces as continents but struggled in the process of putting it together as they know the continents are not all connected. However, with discussion, perseverance, determination and some guidance both groups managed to put the puzzle together. Then we had a discussion about Pangaea and scientists discoveries of how the continents looked millions of years ago. It was a great start to our new unit.

The Challenge... 

 Celebrating Success!!!

Continents

& Oceans

In the Media Centre the students used BrainPop to learn about the continents and oceans. They watched a video which gave a definition of these elements of the Earth and identified the continents and oceans of the world. Following this they completed interactive activities to test their understanding and reinforce their learning.

Technology Aids Learning

Winter Event

For the winter event the grade 3 students will be singing Frosty the Snowman. Below are the lyrics so the students can learn the words to the song.  There is also a link so they can actually listen to the song as well. There may be slight variations to the way they are singing it, but it will help them with the tune and they can enjoy a little YouTube  animated cartoon of Frosty the Snowman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmuJDmjq-xQ

 

Frosty the Snowman

Frosty the Snowman was a jolly happy soul
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal
Frosty the Snowman is a fairytale they say
He was made of snow but the children know
How he came to life one day.

There must have been some magic
In that old silk hat they found
For when they placed it on his head
He began to dance around

Frosty the Snowman was alive as he could be
And the children say he could laugh and play
Just the same as you and me

Learning Multiplication

The students of grade 3 have been involved in many different activities to learn the multiplication tables. We have used flash cards, played math games, participated in the 50 Club math drill, and completed our unit related activities in our math books. Learning the multiplication tables is very important and takes time. It is necessary that parents help their children practice the times tables by quizzing them at home on a regular basis until they can recite them quite quickly. Together we can all help improve these skills!

 Multiplication 50 Club Drills

 Multiplication Train Game

Multiplication Flash Cards

Multiplication Domino Game

 Body Systems Projects

As a final activity for our health and well-being unit of inquiry, the students worked in pairs or trios to complete a project on one of the body systems of their choice. They were expected to complete an explanatory text describing what the body system is and explaining how it works. They also had to draw and label a diagram of the body system. Once the projects were completed and the students had a chance to practice, they presented their explanations and diagrams to the class. The presentations went well and the students were able to demonstrate their understanding of the workings of the body systems. Congratulations to all on a job well done!

Building a Body!!!

Thanks to one of the students, we had a large model of the body that we could build together. There were many parts that had to be connected to complete the skeleton with the internal organs. Unfortunately the muscles would not stay attached, so we only completed the skeleton and the internal organs. It was a little challenging, but nevertheless a fun way to review the main parts of the body systems.

So many parts!!!                              The construction begins...

 Attaching the hipbones...

Adding the internal organs.

An arm gets attached.            Here he is mostly finished!